English
necessity
Necessity comes from Latin necessitās ‘unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity’, from cessus ‘yielded’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né ‘not’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*né‘not’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*méh₁‘prohibitive particle: "don't ...!"’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*néh₁reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nē‘not’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEnei
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcessus‘yielded’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnecesse‘unavoidable, inevitable’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnecessitās‘unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400necessite
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1804necessity
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*né‘not’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*méh₁‘prohibitive particle: "don't ...!"’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*néh₁reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nē‘not’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEnei
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcessus‘yielded’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnecesse‘unavoidable, inevitable’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEnecessitās‘unavoidableness, compulsion, exigency, necessity’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400necessite
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1804necessity
Earliest quotation: 1804, The Small Celandine: “I stopped, and said with inly muttered voice, 'It…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *né ‘not’
no, na, negotiate, ne, renegade, negotiator, 14 more
through Archaic Latin nei
Today it means
noun The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *né / necessity